At city council meeting on Monday he brought compact discs from Cryptopsy (“classic” metal, according to him), Necrotic Mutation (originally from Rimouski) and Despised Icon.

Sauvé successfully pushed through a formal declaration making Montreal a “heavy metal city.” He also managed to gain bipartisan support for it.

“That’s the magic of metal,” he said, laughing.

I caught up with @CraigSauve today. He's just got a formal declaration through city council to have Montreal officially declared a metal city. I asked him what his mother thought about all this… apparently, she's not a fan. @Global_Montrealpic.twitter.com/iOy6MJqz2Q

The designation may not necessarily end up being purely symbolic, either.

“Everybody knows that Montreal is an international music city, but by declaring it we are getting national and international press,” said Jimmy Kay, who operates a YouTube channel with called The Metal Voice. It has more than 11,000 followers worldwide.

Kay points out a strange phenomenon with many Montreal-area acts — they may be unknown in their home city but wildly popular in Japan or countries in Europe. The designation could serve to change that, with the additional attention the city’s band could have.

“This international press is costing us nothing,” Kay said.

I also spoke with Jimmy Kay, who runs The Metal Voice, a YouTube channel with a worldwide following. He makes the point that designations like these aren't necessarily symbolic, but can have a major promotional impact on a city like Montreal. @Global_Montrealpic.twitter.com/9QGbUeD0No